There are currently more than six million Filipino workers in over 120 countries in jobs ranging from maids to managers. The Philippine Government has encouraged the manpower exodus to absorb the country's surplus labour and to bring foreign exchange earnings into the Philippine economy. However, non-governmental organizations have argued that social dysfunctions associated with working abroad have not been adequately addressed. Using an analytical framework that blends multiple stakeholders' perspectives, the author assesses the historical, demographic, economic, social, and political dimensions of Philippine labour migration policy from the early 1900s to the late 1990s. Focusing on recent issues, he provides an integrated evaluation from a public policy perspective, balancing both state and societal viewpoints. [A separate soft cover edition is available from De La Salle University Press for customers in the Philippines only.]

Living Law presents a comprehensive overview of relationships between legal and social theory, and of current approaches to the sociological study of legal ideas. It explores the nature of legal theory and sociolegal studies today as teaching and research fields, and the work of many of the major sociolegal theorists. In addition, it sets out the author's distinctive approach to sociological analysis of law, applying this in a range of studies in specific legal fields, such as the law of contract, property and trusts, constitutional analysis, and comparative law.